Safety-crank for hand-cars



(No Model.)

J. MURPHY, Jr. SAFETY GRANK POR HAND GARS.

No. 406.935. Patented July 16, 1889. Y

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'WITNESS/:5,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMIAH MURPHY, JB., 0F BERKLEY, ASSIGNOR '.l() BENJAMIN F. HANDY,

Oh` SPRINGFIELD,

MASSA GIIU SETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,935, dated July 16, 1889.

Application led April 25, 1889.

To all whom it may cm1/00771,.'

lle it known that I, JEREMIAH MURPHY, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkley, in the county of Bristol, and State 5 of h/lassacluisetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-(iran ks for Railway Hand-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a fulhclear, and exact description of theinventicn, such as will enable 1o others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which forni a part ot this specification.

'lhis invention relatesto s:t:et;,-e1an! s for railway hand-ears, whereby the crank may stop while the shaft continues to rotate. rlhe purpose is evident, the object being to prevent injury tothe person operating the ear in the event ot the crank catching in his clothing, which frequently results in severe injuries tothe individualwhen the ear is in motion. i

The drawings represent in Figure ll a side elevatiim. Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. i; is a sectional elevation transversely of: the shaft. Fig. et is afront view oi' the inelosingtube Ver thc pawl.

In the above drawings, 2 represents the actuating-shaft, only one end et which is shown, both being provided with similar operating mechanism. Loosel y mounted upon said shaft is the crank il, provided with a handgrasp L The lower portion of said crank is longitudinally slotted at 5, to admit a toothed wheel G. The teeth ot the latter are square-faced, but oppositely undercut, to enable said wheel to be revob -iueit.' ier direction. Vertieally aligned al ve. the wheel and resting upon a shoulder vtormed in the crank is secured a hollow tube S. lVithin this tube is loeateda pawl il, so called, which consists of a cylindrical rod. 'lhe active end is forwardly inclined upon the rear side at l0, and cut away in trout at l2, the angle oi the latter si'xi'aec oineiding with the undereut upon the teeth 7. Thus the shape of this pawl is suoli that it will engage and hold a tooth upon the wheel so long as p the crank moves at the same rate of speed.

Should said crank be retarded or stopped, the

Serial No. 308,579. (No model.)

rear side lil is simply wiped by the other teeth, which now move against it, and t-he forward advance rotation of the shaft thus continues while, the pawl 1and crank may be stopped.

In hand-ears it is frequently necessary to reverse the motion to back the ear, as also to render the crank free or place it in an idle position, in some instances in order to transl'er a rail a short distance. These results are obtained by means et a transverse pin 13, inserted in the upper part of the pawl. In eonnection with. said pand-actuating pin I have cut in the shell oi. the tube Q two slots 14 l5, diziunetrieally located, and which connect after the manner oi' a bayonet-l'asiening. Said slots are situated in the sameplane with but above the toothed wheel. 'liurthernmre the shell ot said tube is formed with a notch lo, located between the slots 1+i l5, at the upper ends of the latter, in order that the aetnating pawl-pn, when resting therein, shall be at right. angles to such positions as it assumes when located in either oi' the slots li or l5.

'lhe upper end ol.' the tube q is closed by a serew-plug,which serves to retain a spring 17, contined betweelrsaid plug Iand the upper end of the pawl. By this means the pawl is held in contact with the toothed wheel whenever permitted to engage therewith.

By reference to Fig. El the pawl is shown positioned with its active `face advanced to ward the left and in engagement with one side of a tooth, whereby, when the crank is turned, the shaft must necessarily rotate in direction of the arrow. This may be in* stanecd as forwaril-advance rotation. .In the event of reverse movement, or when the hand-ear is to be backed, the .actuating-pin 15S is lifted, raising the pawl against the tension of its spring until said pin reaches the upper end et' the slot la. The pin is then swung through an are of one hundred and eighty degrees, as likewise the pawl. The pin is new allowed to descend in the slot 1.5 unt-il the active end ol the pawl strikes the peripheryT oi' the toothed wheel, where it ein` gages a tooth, and the shaft is then in readiness to be revolved in an opposite direction to that betere described.

Many times in the use oi' hand-cars, when repairs upon the line necessitate the transfer of rails for a short distance, it becomes neeessary to load the rails upon the ear, in which event it is impossible to allow the crank to revolve. At such times, and in order to render the crank inoperative upon the toothed wheel,tl1e pawl is lifted up and the pin 13 is disengaged from one of the slots 14 or 15 in which it may be located at the time. rlhe pin and pawl are now swung' through an angle of ninety degrees, when the pin is permitted to drop and rests in the notch 1U. In this position the shaft is free 1:0revolve,whilc the crank, placed in any desired position, remains stationary and idle.

There are several obvious advantages: First, the simplicity of the parts, which are few in number; secondly, in the easy adaptation of this device to any hand-car propelled by crank motion; thirdly, in the ease by which the crank may bel caused to operate the shaft in either direction, as likewise the facility with which it may be disconnected and rendered inoperative; and,l stly, in the fact that but one pawl is 'e1nplowed,which renders the device particularly easy to operate.

1. In a hand-car for railway-service, the combination, with the main shaft and the toothed wheel fast thereon, of a crank loose upon said shaft, a hollow tube at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and a single p'awl Within the tube and adapted to turn upon its own axis, as likewise to move endwise with respect to the toothed wheel witlnwhich it engages, substantially as herein deselibei.`

2. In a hand-car, a revoluble shaft provided with a wheel fast thereon, having oppositely undercut teeth, a crank loose thereon which straddles said wheel, and the reversible spring-actuated pawl having radial movement with the wheel, combined with a slotted tube which incloses the pawl, and an actuating-pin by'which the pawl has axial as likewise endwise movement, substantially as herein set forth and specified.

3. In combination with a shaft 2,the crank 3, loose thereon, the tube 8, provided with the slots 14 15, and the Wheel (i, with its teeth 7 oppositely undercut, a single pawl 9, substantially as "escrbed, its spring, and an aetuating-pin 13, moving in the slots,whereby the pawl is given axial as likewise endwise movement, substantially as and for purposes herein stated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

'I .innEMmu MURPHY, JR.

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